The Jets received encouraging progress on the injury front Friday afternoon for one starter, but the iffy status of two others remained unchanged.
Wide receiver Jermaine Kearse (abdomen), who missed the final two preseason games, returned to the practice field on a limited basis after being held out this week. Nevertheless, coach Todd Bowles was typically evasive about his status.
“He was limited, but we will see,” Bowles said. “We’ve still got time.”
Kearse declined to comment on the likelihood he’ll play Monday in Detroit, saying: “You got to talk to coach Bowles about anything related to that.”
Kearse said he felt “good” being back at practice.
The news wasn’t as promising for two other starters. Safety Marcus Maye (foot) and outside linebacker Josh Martin (concussion) remained out, with no update given on their availability for Monday. Bowles said hard-hitting but inexperienced safety Doug Middleton and veteran J.J. Wilcox will be mixed in to replace Maye if he’s not available.
Martin’s absence would leave the Jets with just three outside linebackers in starter Jordan Jenkins and reserves Brandon Copeland and newcomer Jeremiah Attaochu. Attaochu, who has been a limited participant this week in practice due to a calf injury, was signed Monday by the Jets, two days after getting cut by the 49ers.
“He’s been in a 3-4 [defense] his whole career, so he understands it,” Bowles said. “Some of the terminology is different, but he’s a bright guy. We’ll try to teach him certain things and let him grasp what he can grasp.”
While he admitted it was an “eye-opener,” special teams coach Brant Boyer said the special-teams disaster that was the third preseason game against the Giants — the unit allowed a touchdown and a 35-yard return and committed four penalties — was partly due to different players getting evaluated and new combinations being used in preparation for making roster cuts. Now that roles have been set, Boyer was asked whether enough improvement be made in a few weeks.
“Let’s hope so, especially facing [the Lions],” he said. “This is a huge challenge. … They’re very good.”
Detroit’s Jamal Agnew led the NFL a year ago, averaging 15.4 yards per return on 29 punt returns with a pair of touchdowns. The Jets’ coverage unit was a problem last year as a whole, ranked 22nd in the league by the analytics-based website Pro Football Focus, and it struggled this preseason.
Linebacker Avery Williamson (hamstring) was limited in practice again.